‘Annie’ back on Broadway

GIRL POWER: (front left to right) Georgi James, Emily Rosenfeld, Madi Rae DiPietro; (back left to right) Lilla Crawford, Junah Jang, Taylor Richardson, Tyrah Skye Odoms in ‘Annie’. Photo: Joan Marcus

ANNIE
Book by Thomas Meehan
Music by Charles Strouse
Lyrics by Martin Charnin
Directed by James Lapine
Choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler
Palace Theatre
Broadway & 47th Street
(877-250-2929), www.AnnieTheMusical.com

By David NouNou

Not being an Annie fan might seem to many as being un-American or hating apple pie. However, seeing this show 35 years after its initial opening, I couldn’t help but marvel at the incredible score by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin and the standards that have filled our musical catalog. Almost every song in it is a classic and makes this show revivable for young and old alike. The young get to learn the songs for the first time; and the old get to recognize and smile to themselves that they saw the original as children, and now they are seeing it through their children’s eyes.

That being said, the book is a different matter. It now seems leaden and contrived, doesn’t have a breezy flow to it, and the references to Hooverville, A New Deal and The Roxy leave modern viewers a bit perplexed. With today’s economy and what New York and New Jersey have just experienced in the past few weeks, for many it is the depression all over again. For many the sun is not coming out tomorrow, and it is a hard-knock life indeed, and one can only hope life improves for many in the Tri-State Area affected by the hurricane.

Starting in an orphanage in December of 1933, Annie (a spunky and willful Lilla Crawford), dreams that one day she will be reunited with her mother and father. However, she has to go through the travails of the orphanage and the besotted, dreadful Miss Hannigan (the equally dreadful Katie Finneran) before she gets adopted by New York billionaire Oliver Warbucks (played by an amazing Australian actor making his Broadway debut, Anthony Warlow).

Miss Hannigan as a rule is one mean, scary bitch, and when she drinks, she is an even scarier bitch. Thank God there once was Dorothy Louden, who played her to perfection; mean, scary, really hated little girls and her lot in life. As far as the audience was concerned, she doled out meanness with equal measures of drunken humor. Nothing like this comes close in Ms. Finneran’s performance. Her character is loopy, drunken and exaggeratedly over-the-top “acting mean,” with none of the scariness to instill fear in her little wards’ hearts. Over the years I’ve been a huge fan of Ms. Finneran’s, whether it was in Noises Off, Promises, Promises (both of which won her supporting actress Tony Awards) or her guest appearance on TV’s “Frazier” as Poppy Dellefield. Her kookiness and zaniness were in small doses, so she was endearing. Now it seems all she does is manic, exaggerated performances. Whatever happened to subtlety?

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Anthony Warlow; what a wonderful Daddy Warbucks. Imagine an Aussie doing an American accent to perfection. His singing voice is enchanting; his gruff exterior, with a marshmallow heart, makes the audience melt with delight. As for Lilla Crawford, her Annie is lovely. Miss Crawford’s voice is rich and full, and her delivery strident. Andrea McArdle (the original Annie) infused more charm and gentility into her Annie.

Special mention has to be made of David Korins’ set design; they are lovely; and Donald Holders’ lighting frames the sets beautifully with rich hues. All in all, it is a well-mounted revival, with the exception of Ms. Finneran and some of the less-than-sterling supporting performances. This will be a nice, pleasant diversion for the holidays.

‘ANNIE’S’ BACK: (l to r) Jeremy Davis, Anthony Warlow, Lilla Crawford, Dennis Stowe, Jane Blass, Gavin Lodge, Merwin Foard, Keven Quillon. Photo: Joan Marcus

2013 Best Musical Revival Tony nomination.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 15, 2012
Reviewed at press performance on November 14, 2012